Nguyen Mai Hoang and his leadership role at U19 Song Lam Nghe An

Leadership qualities

In the 2024 National U19 Championship qualifying round, Nguyen Mai Hoang was trusted by the coaching staff to be the Captain of U19 Song Lam Nghe An. The player born in 2005 was arranged by coach Huy Hoang to play in the center-back position. This is the forte position of the player from Thanh Chuong.

In the 4-4-2 formation, Mai Hoang and Van Thanh often play together. The understanding of this pair of central defenders has created solidity for the U19 Song Lam Nghe An defense.

After 8 matches in the qualifying round, U19 Song Lam Nghe An only conceded 5 goals, in which Mai Hoang played in 7 matches (he was rested to save energy in the return match against the weakest team in Group C, Quang Ngai). Looking at the defensive play of U19 Song Lam Nghe An, it can be seen that the players in the back line moved in sync and defended quite well in blocks. In particular, the role of Captain Mai Hoang was clearly shown. In the past matches in the qualifying round, the central defender born in 2005 often directed his teammates to keep the right distance between positions, thereby easily supporting each other more effectively. This way of playing helps U19 Song Lam Nghe An not to reveal gaps for the opponent to exploit.

In particular, in the match between U19 Song Lam Nghe An and U19 Da Nang in the second leg of the 2024 National U19 qualifying round, Mai Hoang demonstrated his leadership qualities, commanding the defense to play accurately, thereby bringing victory to the home team. This was also a key match that helped coach Huy Hoang's team gain a big advantage in the race for the top spot in Group C after the qualifying round ended.

Besides playing an important role in the defense line, Mai Hoang is also an extension of the U19 Song Lam Nghe An Coaching Board. He often gives words of encouragement, motivating his teammates to compete enthusiastically and passionately. That is also the key for U19 Song Lam Nghe An to play quite explosively in the 2024 National U19 Qualifiers.

Thus, with 19 points after 8 matches, U19 Song Lam Nghe An officially won a ticket to the final round of the 2024 National U19 Tournament.

The final round of this year's tournament will be held in Binh Duong, including 12 teams divided into 3 groups, playing in a round robin to select 8 teams to play in the quarterfinals. Notably, in this year's tournament, there are many teams considered very strong such as U19 Viettel, U19 PVF, U19 Hanoi, U19 Thanh Hoa... Therefore, to achieve the set goal, the U19 Song Lam Nghe An defense needs to play more alertly and strongly. In particular, Mai Hoang's role as captain and leader of the defense needs to be clearly demonstrated.

“We will further promote the strengths that U19 Song Lam Nghe An has shown in the qualifying round. In addition, we will better control the mistakes we have made to help U19 Song Lam Nghe An go far in this year's tournament. There will be difficult matches ahead, but with the spirit of solidarity and always fighting with all our might, I believe U19 Song Lam Nghe An will go far in the 2024 National U19 tournament”. – Nguyen Mai Hoang shared.

Short Tet holiday

The final round of the 2024 National U19 Championship will start on the 9th day of Tet, so in order to maintain the players' form, the coaching staff of U19 Song Lam Nghe An decided to give the whole team a 4-day Tet holiday. In which, the strikers must gather at the latest on the morning of the 2nd day of Tet. This is considered a short Tet holiday for Mai Hoang and his teammates at U19 Song Lam Nghe An. On the 28th day of Tet, after the holiday, Mai Hoang immediately took a bus back to Thanh Chuong to celebrate the new year with his family. Although he did not have much time to enjoy a full Tet holiday, the player born in 2005 was able to feel the affection from his family after days of playing away from home.

“This year, I only had 4 days off for Tet, so I couldn’t help my parents much. However, the whole family had time to wrap banh chung together, gather around the dinner table, tell each other about the achievements of the old year and set goals for the new year. Even though I couldn’t celebrate Tet longer with my family, that time allowed me to feel the warmth of love that my family had for me. After returning to the team, we will immediately focus on training to be ready to enter the tournament in the best form” - Mai Hoang shared.

Currently, Mai Hoang and U19 Song Lam Nghe An are training at high intensity. It is expected that on the 4th day of Tet, the whole team will travel by car to Binh Duong to participate in the final round of the 2024 National U19 tournament.

Hopefully Mai Hoang and his teammates will compete successfully in this year's tournament, thereby bringing home high achievements for the fans./.